By Al Hain-Cole

Ian Baraclough tried unsuccessfully to stifle his Norwegian opponents in the first leg but, with nothing to lose, Al Hain-Cole expects him to throw caution to the wind

Sligo Rovers have a tough task on their hands when they travel to Molde for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier on Tuesday, hoping to overturn a 1-0 deficit from last week’s home game.

The hosts have only lost one of their last 15 games, so are heavy 1/3 (1.33) favourites with Paddy Power to seal their place in the third round with victory in front of their own fans.

The Bit o’ Red have never won a European tie away from home, and are considerable 8/1 (9.00) underdogs to keep their Champions League dreams alive by coming out on top in Norway.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have not drawn any of their last seven continental fixtures at the Aker Stadion, but you can get odds of 7/2 (4.50) on the teams sharing the spoils this evening.

Many questioned Ian Baraclough’s team selection after the first leg, suggesting the boss was too conservative in deciding to leave marauding full-back Alan Keane and winger Kieran Djilali on the bench, given their effectiveness as an attacking outlet down the right flank.

With his side trailing, the English boss cannot afford to play such a defensive hand tonight, and this could leave the visiting backline exposed to an in-form attack as they push forward in search of an equaliser.

The Norwegian champions have not failed to score in any of their last nine fixtures and, with their confidence high, they will be looking forward to a more open encounter than the one in Ireland, where the hosts attempted to keep things tight.

A bet on over 2.5 goals would have paid out in eight of the home side’s last 10 in front of their own fans, and seems to offer decent value at 4/6 (1.67) in what should be an end-to-end encounter here.

In fact, it would be no surprise if this game followed in the footsteps of five of Molde’s last seven league games in producing at least four goals, and odds of 15/8 (2.88) are certainly worth considering on over 3.5 goals going in, as has also occurred in three of the guests’ last six fixtures.